Recommendations for trailer light converter box?

[The Warden]

Hello!

I'm planning to get a trailer hitch installed on my '01 Jetta on Monday...going to rent a small trailer to run down to San Diego and back next weekend. Since the Jetta uses separate brake and rear turn signal wires and bulbs, I need a trailer light converter box similar to this one: http://www.draw-tite.com/content/products.aspx?lvl=3&parentid=1500&catID=1545&part=119175

Does anyone have any recommendations on a specific brand or model to look for or to avoid? I have yet to find a kit that can plug directly into my wiring harness, so it looks like I get to do the wiring myself...I could leave it to the guys who are installing the hitch, but I'm not all that keen on wire-ties butchering my wiring harness

Any thoughts would be appreciated...thanks in advance!

 

[towcat]

what kind of bulbs do you use?
that "kit" still requires you to tap into the RT & LT wiring.

 

[The Warden]

what kind of bulbs do you use?
that "kit" still requires you to tap into the RT & LT wiring.

I understand that I need to tap into the wiring; I just don't want to use these to tap in (and I'm pretty sure that the U-Haul guys would end up doing just that, based on past experience). I'm thinking either soldering the connections with heat shrink, or possibly getting fancy and wiring a plug in so I can easily replace the controller if it fails.

FWIW the rear turn signal bulbs are 7506's...I used to have a set of 1157 bulbs with leads coming off them to connect directly to a U-Haul's wiring scheme, but I'm not sure where they went off to...and I imagine they wouldn't fit in place of 7506's in any event.

Gotta love when things come down to the wire, eh? I wanted to replace the tires and shocks before this trip, but doesn't look like I'll have time to do either one...but I think it'll be okay. Hell, I haven't figured out yet which tires I want to use...and at this point I'll have to source a controller locally; just trying to find out if there's any brand I should look out for and/or one I should avoid...

It'll be "fun" one way or another

 

[towcat]

tim-
imho tapping into late german wiring is plain asking for trouble.
check out this link......


http://bob_skelly.home.comcast.net/~bob_skelly/TailLights/taillight_mods04.html

he's modding the pigtail bulbs to work in a 7506/1156 socket

 

[The Warden]

tim-
imho tapping into late german wiring is plain asking for trouble.
check out this link......


http://bob_skelly.home.comcast.net/~bob_skelly/TailLights/taillight_mods04.html

he's modding the pigtail bulbs to work in a 7506/1156 socket

Thanks for the link! I'll go over it after I get home from work tonight (about to jump in the shower now)...

Just curious, given that going further back in the harness is a) asking for trouble and b) probably more trouble than it's worth in any event, what sorts of problems do you foresee if I were to splice into the wiring at each bulb? And, on a similar note, do you think I should do anything about upgrading any flashers/relays? I'm hoping that, since most U-Haul trailers have LED lighting these days, that I won't need to, but better safe than sorry...OTOH is it even possible to put a heavy-duty flasher on one of these cars? I know that M-B's "flashers" are unique to the vehicle...

Thanks again

 

[Bashby]

When I wired my 88 toyota truck for a trailer, I went to radio shack and bought 4 diodes for a couple bucks and wired them in. It worked for years with no problems.

 

[Tyson]

I don't know anything about the light but can recommend a site for you to check about hitches... Prices are competitive.
http://www.hitchanything.com/

 

[OLDBULL8]

He's prolly been to San Diego and back by now. That was about 7 months ago.

 

[The Warden]

He's prolly been to San Diego and back by now. That was about 7 months ago.

Yep I ended up taking the truck down there...there were some issues with getting the hitch installed, so while I have the hitch on there now, it wasn't installed by the time I had to go down to Sandy Eggo. At the same time, I haven't had a chance to wire in the converter box...I bought one; hopefully it'll do the job, but I still have to wire it in...

 

[Tyson]

Goodluck!

 

[crazytwo]

Walmart carries Hopkins trailer supplies. I just looked at a 5 to 4 converter about a month ago. I think it was $25. Not sure if it works for VW wiring. My bus has seperate stop light and turn signals. I just used a 4 way because it was an emergency install and turn signal weren't as important as tail light and stop light.

ETA. Oops, just saw this was last June.

 

[The Warden]

Walmart carries Hopkins trailer supplies. I just looked at a 5 to 4 converter about a month ago. I think it was $25. Not sure if it works for VW wiring. My bus has seperate stop light and turn signals. I just used a 4 way because it was an emergency install and turn signal weren't as important as tail light and stop light.

ETA. Oops, just saw this was last June.

Actually, the "original" discussion was in October 2011, but that doesn't mean that new info isn't valuable I actually still haven't done anything about this; haven't had a need to. Would still be nice to get it done at some point, but there are a bunch of things that are higher-priority at the moment...